How to Make Her Stay in 10 Easy Steps
by glindalovesshoes
Summary: After Lisbon headed off with Pike, realization sank in. Pike's offer was serious and she was seriously considering it. She would leave him if he didn't do something. He had to make her stay. Set after 6x19 - Brown Eyed Girls. Jisbon.
1. Spoil Her With Food

Hey there guys! I just couldn't stop thinking what happened on the episode when I watched it Monday morning (night... it was 4 am whatever you wanna call it) So on my way to university I just felt like I had to write something and I spent my whole lecture on International Relationships writing about the only relationship I'm interested at the moment... which is Lisbon and Jane's ;) This is what came out.

Thanks to Idan, who found a little spot in her busy schedule to beta it for me! For those who are waiting for the next chapter of my Titanic AU, it's about to be betaed any time soon!

Now have fun. I think I'll continue this little piece here soon.

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How to Make Her Stay in 10 Easy Steps

It was time to do something, he thought after he'd finally been able to get over the shock of the news Lisbon had just shared with him.

"_He got a promotion. It__'__s a posting in DC.__" _His heart had made a jump… just to fall into a black hole a few seconds after. _And he asked me to go with him, so we can be together in DC__… __Thinking about it.__"_

She couldn't be honestly considering Pike's offer to go to DC. Not now, it was all too soon. He'd barely gotten her back... His heart was beating hard against his chest, feeling some kind of longing and ache he hadn't felt in a long time. She _was _considering Pike's offer…. But he couldn't lose her once more; it was something his heart would not survive.

Lisbon wasn't the type to just pack her things and leave with a guy she just met; Pike should know that. On the other hand, he'd thought the thing with Pike would be nothing more than... a thing. Well, once again his powers had failed when it came to Lisbon. Maybe she wasn't the open book she used to be after all.

Of course he'd felt there was something bothering her lately, but... He thought she was conflicted because of her relationship with Pike.

Jane couldn't even blame the handsome tall man who was perfect for her in every way. He was dependable, stable, treated her well, he was the man he'd want his Lisbon to have... If only he wasn't the most selfish person on this planet.

Yes, Teresa deserved a man like Pike and he wanted her to be happy. He'd told her he wanted her to be happy, and if that meant he would be the unhappiest man on earth, it had to be this way.

Dammit, he should have said something, should have told her what he really thought, when she'd asked him what he thought. He could have said "I don't want you to go" right there. Except he hadn't and to Teresa it had felt like he didn't care at all, that she had no reason to stay.

Sighing, he realized he had never given her _any_ reason to stay. He'd abandoned her on more than one occasion, all in order to catch Red John and keep her safe. She understood it, right? Lisbon understood he couldn't let anything happen to her and if he'd given in to his needs years ago, she would be dead by now.

All he wanted her to have was the space she'd asked for on their plane right on the first case after he was back in the US.

Back then he'd promised himself he wouldn't make any more life-altering decisions for her. Now she was making life-altering decisions herself... Decisions which concerned him. She couldn't leave, she couldn't... She was the only home he had and he wouldn't survive otherwise. He should have never, ever have taken that art case. In the end it was all his fault. If he hadn't asked Abbott to join the Art Squad on the case, she'd have never met Pike. Well met maybe, but this time he only had himself to blame.

He should have been ready when he came back from Venezuela. Ready to take off his ring, to tell her about his feelings and to woo her, to give her everything she deserved.

Jane swallowed hard once he realized he probably was too late.

After he came back everything had to settle down first, the FBI, the new team, the Haibach case... And just when he thought everything was perfect, Mr. Pancake came along and screwed everything up.

He was glad Lisbon was happy, that she finally got to enjoy herself a bit. She looked incredible in all the dresses she was wearing, that little smile lingering on her lips the whole day... If only he was the one to put it there.

His gaze lingered on the doors where she'd vanished with Pike some time ago.

_"He just makes a point to be there for me,"_ she'd said, making it sound like Pike was some sort of hero. So? He'd always been there for her when she needed him over the years, hadn't he?

With the psychopath who tried to make her think she committed murder, with Volker. He'd been there to bring her coffee and a bear claw on the mornings when she was especially grumpy, he'd given her little and big presents... He'd even written her a ton of letters during the time he was in Venezuela because he didn't want her to worry... and of course to keep him sane.

Was it all too late? Did the twelve years they'd spent together as partners, as friends mean nothing to her? Would she really leave?

No, this couldn't be it. She'd said she was considering Pike's offer, but she hadn't made a decision yet. He had to stop sitting around and watch as the most important person in his life was taken from him. It was time to make a move and show her she didn't really want to go with Pike.

Lisbon's place was here with him. There was not much time left to make a move, but he had to be careful. He didn't want her to think he was only starting to make a move because he was scared of losing her. She had to believe all he did was because he loved her... and hopefully she loved him too.

Darn it, he'd just messed up his chance to tell her to stay! But how was he supposed to have a heart-to-heart with her while Pike was only a few steps away? He'd get that talk, the sooner, the better.

"Excuse me, sir, may I help you?" a nurse asked carefully.

Jane looked up and smiled. "No, you can't. I have to do this on my own." Without looking back, he left the hospital, ready to make a change, ready to win his Lisbon back and make her fall in love with him. Pike would be just an unwelcome shadow of the past.

Xxxxx

When Lisbon entered the bullpen, she was conflicted. She wished she had told Jane under different circumstances, not with Marcus waiting for her only a few feet away. Maybe they could have talked it out... He wanted her to be happy, which was nice, but did he have nothing to say? Did he just not care if she moved a thousand miles away from him with another man? Would their friendship survive yet another separation? She'd given him the choice to voice his thoughts, but either he'd been too surprised or he really didn't care about her at all.

She swallowed hard when she saw Jane lying on the brown leather couch, sleeping. If she moved to DC she'd never get to see this sight again. It was obvious he hadn't slept in his trailer from the way his suit was rumpled.

She set down her bag, surprised to find a grande cup of Starbucks coffee and a bear claw from Marie's sitting right next to her computer. How the hell did that get here?! Marie's was a small coffee shop in Sacramento and she'd never heard of a store here in Austin.

Carefully, she picked the cup of coffee up, taking a sip. It was still as hot as if it came right out of the coffee maker and tasted like cinnamon. Her favorite.

Lisbon sat down, picking up the bear claw. It looked like Marie's, it tasted like Marie's... Oh god it even tasted like Marie's! A light moan escaped her when she chewed and swallowed the delicious piece of pastry.

"Good morning, Lisbon."

She jumped in her chair, turning around, the bear claw still in her hand. "Jane. I thought you were asleep!"

He yawned and sat up, his hand rubbing through his hair. God he looked sexy.

"I see you found your breakfast. You like it?" How did he know she'd only had a cereal bar because Marcus hadn't had time to make something? Probably how he knew everything... Except for the rumors of her moving to DC.

Lisbon took a deep breath, trying to ignore thoughts like this. "How did you get a bear claw from Marie's? Is there a coffee shop here in Austin I don't know about?"

He just shrugged secretively and stood up, stretching his body to relax his sore muscles. For a second his eyes lingered on her lips before he pointed out, "You have some frosting over there..."

Before she could wipe it away, Jane leaned forward and brushed his thumb over her lip. "That's better. I'm going to have a cup of tea in the break room. See you later, Teresa."

She watched him leave, her upper lip still burning from the soft touch of his thumb. What the hell was that?! She'd given up trying to understand Jane's actions years ago, but this... Confused, she took another bite of her bear claw and started her computer.

Xxxxx

In the break room, Jane pulled his white cup and saucer off the shelf and leaned against the counter, a light smile on his face. Well this was a good start….


	2. Share With Her

A/N: Hey there guys! Here's the second chapter of my little story! I really hope you enjoyed it so far! Thanks so much for all your reviews, favs and follows, you're truly amazing!

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(2)

The day was coming along slowly. Jane was lying on his couch, staring at the ceiling of the FBI bullpen. Too bad he didn't have a real point to focus on. Back in the CBI there was this spot which had looked like Elvis. He didn't find anything particularly interesting to stare at here.

Well, there was something he really liked to stare at, or rather a certain _someone_, but times changed and since Lisbon didn't have a secure office anymore, it was way harder to glance at her without anyone seeing him.

It'd be easier if Cho's desk was a little farther to the left, but damn, the way it was standing, he could look right at him if he turned his head to the left.

For a second he wondered who'd get Lisbon's desk once she was gone. Would it stay empty? Even worse, would there be a new agent assigned to their team who'd get her desk? Oh no, he wouldn't let that happen. Never. Ever. He'd make sure Lisbon's spot in the team would be free forever, if she decided to go to DC with Marcus, so she'd always know there was a place to come back to if things didn't work out with Mr. Thai-Take-Out.

A humming sound made him look toward Lisbon's desk. She was checking her phone and from her body language he could tell the message was from Pike. An annoyed sigh escaped his throat and made her turn around.

Jane pretended he'd been staring at the ceiling. "Everything okay, Jane?" she asked.

"Sure. I was just thinking."

"About the case?"

The case? Oh yes, sure. The abducted girls. He had to find a way to wrap it up as soon as possible, so he could finally focus on making his Lisbon stay with him instead of moving halfway across the country to a city she didn't know with a man she didn't love.

Okay, he didn't know whether she was in love with Pike. She had to feel something for him, because otherwise she'd never be considering his offer after what? Three weeks they were together? He'd spent twelve years with Lisbon. _Twelve years_. Dammit, maybe that was the point.

Jane knew she'd been feeling more for him than the long friend- and partnership, but with Red John in the picture it'd been all too dangerous. He'd felt more for her, too. This was why he'd told her he loved her on the evening he'd come back from Vegas to pretend to shoot her. Of course he'd been hyped up, that's why he'd told her so when she'd asked him in the warehouse back then. Neither of them would have been ready for a commitment like this, not after he'd slept with Lorelei and broken Lisbon's heart by leaving her for six months without a message.

At least when he'd been in Venezuela, he'd been able to write her. He didn't know what she thought of his letters – he'd caught himself on more than one occasion telling her he loved her in one of these letters, but she deserved to know in person, not by a stupid piece of paper. That's why after Venezuela, he'd promised himself to finally act on his feelings for her.

Too bad once everything had fallen into place, he hadn't. Everything was his fault. Of course Teresa was tired of waiting for him, of course she finally wanted to move on and have a life. And he wanted her to have it, just not with Pike, but with him.

"Jane?" Lisbon asked, confused when he kept staring at her, a wave of different emotions flickering over his face.

Right, she'd been asking him if he was thinking about the case. "Yeah… yeah, I was thinking about the case. I think I want to interview one of the brothers again, see if I can make them talk."

"If you mean 'make them talk' by hypnotizing them, I can tell you Abbott will never go for it. This isn't the CBI anymore, Jane."

"No, it's not. Back at the CBI we'd have never gotten a helicopter for the case a few months ago and even with Van Pelt's super good computer skills, we'd have never been able to do things like faking an execution, like we can do here."

She smiled and nodded, her phone vibrating once more. She turned away again to type an answer, her face a little flushed once she looked back at Jane, who desperately tried to not wear a bitter expression on his face.

"You got plans for tonight?" he asked casually.

"Uh…." She didn't know if she should tell him. "Yeah… Marcus asked if I wanted to go and check out his old band, because they have another gig in town tonight…. We would have gone there a few days ago, but you called me to check out the driver who picked up the girl."

"Ah, yes, I remember. You accused me of ruining your date on purpose," he reminded her casually. She rolled her eyes and turned away, giving him the "annoyed-with-Jane" attitude.

Jane leaned back again. He wasn't jealous of Pike. He wasn't jealous. Jealous? Never. Really, he wasn't jealous and maybe if he repeated it ten more times he'd actually start to believe it. Maybe he was annoyed Pike got to do all the fun things with Lisbon. He wouldn't go into detail of what he meant by "fun things," but he wanted her for himself. For an hour. Or two.

"Lisbon?"

"Yes, Jane?"

"Do you have any plans for your lunch hour yet?"

Once again she turned around, a regretful expression on her face. "Actually, I was going to skip it so I can leave an hour earlier tonight…. Why?"

Leave an hour early? Back in the CBI Lisbon would have never left an hour early; she'd have rather stayed two hours longer. Times had changed. A lot.

"Come on Teresa, you need something to eat. I know this little place and they make the best club sandwiches ever."

Lisbon hesitated a bit, and he could see how her mind was working things out. He didn't know what else to do if she declined. "Fine…. Let me finish this report and we can go."

"Great!"

Xxxxx

"These sandwiches are delicious!" Lisbon exclaimed happily, taking a bite from the second one. "There must be some secret ingredient in the sauce because I've never had anything close to this."

"I'm glad you like them. See, I told you they're the best in town."

She smiled eagerly at him while she took another bite and looked around, her gaze wandering to the display cabinet with the cakes and cupcakes.

"I really recommend the double chocolate spice cupcake with vanilla frosting," Jane grinned and waved at the waitress.

"Oh no, Jane, I can't eat dessert! Since Marcus is taking me out for dinner almost every night I really have to watch what I'm eating." It should have been a funny comment, but suddenly both of them fell silent. Lisbon because she knew Marcus was a sensitive topic and Jane because it made him feel sad he wasn't the one to take her out.

He thought about making a remark about how he'd cook for her himself if she let him, but instead he forced himself to smile. "Well you didn't have anything but the bear claw and that chocolate bar today. Also, you promised me I could take you out for lunch and lunch includes dessert, at least when you're with me."

Just then, the waitress arrived and Jane gave his order, ignoring the guilty look Lisbon had when a few minutes later a plate with a perfect little cupcake was put in front of her. "I guess I can't say no to that one…but we have to share!"

"No, that one's for you, Teresa."

"I insist!" she said, picking up her fork with a bite and holding it out to him.

They ate the cupcake, sharing one fork, just like friends did. Only Jane had a hard time watching Lisbon licking off the chocolate with her sweet little tongue when he was supposed to have the next bite from the same fork.

Somehow, Lisbon didn't care. They'd shared so many things over the years, like sundaes, pizza, sandwiches…. Where was the problem in sharing a cupcake?

Jane let her have the last bite and paid the bill, although she didn't want him to. He said if he lured her out of the office, he could at least treat her to lunch.

"We could go here more often, if you want to," he said as they walked along the street to her car.

"I guess we could, as long as I'm still here." Her lips formed a thin line. She felt sorry for reminding him.

Jane swallowed hard. "So you really want to go with him? Did you think it through, Teresa, because…"

"Because what Jane?" she asked, a little annoyed, giving him a daring look saying "because you want me to stay?"

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She watched him for another second, giving him the chance to say something, but he closed his mouth again, signaling her to pick up the call.

"It was Cho. Wylie got a lead in the case. He traced one of the ads on the internet back to a server and is trying to find out the exact location. We have to go back."

Neither of them said another word as they got into the car and drove back to the FBI.


End file.
